faithful

American  

[feyth-fuhl] / ˈfeɪθ fəl /

adjective

1. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

2. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant.

   faithful friends.

   Synonyms:

   staunch, devoted, true

3. reliable, trusted, or believed.

4. strict or thorough in the performance of duty.

   a faithful worker.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate.

   a faithful account;

   a faithful copy.

   Synonyms:

   exact, precise

6. Obsolete. full of faith; believing.

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noun

1. the faithful,

   1. the believers, especially members of a Christian church or adherents of Islam.

   2. the body of loyal members of any party or group.

faithful British  

/ ˈfeɪθfʊl /

adjective

1. having faith; remaining true, constant, or loyal

2. maintaining sexual loyalty to one's lover or spouse

3. consistently reliable

   a faithful worker

4. reliable or truthful

   a faithful source

5. accurate in detail

   a faithful translation

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noun

1. 1. the believers in and loyal adherents of a religious faith, esp Christianity

   2. any group of loyal and steadfast followers

Related Words

Faithful, constant, loyal imply qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation: a faithful friend. Constant suggests firmness and steadfastness in attachment: a constant affection. Loyal implies unswerving allegiance to a person, organization, cause, or idea: loyal to one's associates, one's country.

Other Word Forms

• faithfully adverb
• faithfulness noun
• overfaithful adjective
• pseudofaithful adjective
• quasi-faithful adjective

Etymology

Origin of faithful

First recorded in 1375–1425; faith, -ful

Explanation

Faithful describes someone who is reliable and consistent. If you're a faithful volunteer at the animal shelter, you show up every Saturday and work hard to help the animals. A faithful friend is loyal and steadfast — it's no wonder that many people consider their dogs to be their most faithful companions. Though faithful usually describes a person, you can also use it to talk about a particularly reliable object, like your faithful hiking boots. There's another sense of faithful that means "remaining true to," like faithful believers who pray and attend religious services regularly.

Example Sentences

Karia doesn’t skimp on it, but then again, neither did Shakespeare, and the film is faithful, even if nipped and tucked for running time’s sake.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Real life is less faithful to that neat story line, according to Tyler Goodspeed, a Harvard and Cambridge-trained economic historian and the chief economist of Exxon Mobil.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

It’s a faithful facsimile—with a singular ingredient absent: the soulful performance of Al Pacino in the central role of the hapless bank robber Sonny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Author JK Rowling is an executive producer on the series, which HBO says will be a "faithful adaptation" of her books.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Ever since the carriage accident Seward had suffered, Stanton had been a faithful visitor.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Related Words

• affectionate
• ardent
• conscientious
• dependable
• devoted
• dutiful
• hard-core
• honest
• honorable
• loving
• obedient
• patriotic
• resolute
• scrupulous
• sincere
• staunch
• steadfast
• true
• trustworthy
• trusty